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Uniquely Swiss - Cannabis Ice Tea

As a Swiss-by-marriage, there are certain expectations that I have when I visit from Paris. I expect the sidewalks of Montreux to be blissfully free of dog poop and other debris, the cars to come to a screeching halt whenever I'm ready to cross the street and everything to work like a finely crafted Swiss watch.

I don't expect to see cans of C-ICE, Swiss Cannabis Ice Tea, left on a window ledge,

or the cross from the Swiss flag actively engaged in Kamasutra contortions.

The next thing you know, Swiss people will be cracking jokes, staying out past 10:00 pm on weeknights and wearing flamboyant clothes.

Intrigued by the new-to-me cannabis ice tea, I visited the website for C-Swiss and learned that the beverage "for people with high expectations" was launched in Switzerland in 1999. Sold in a prize-winning can made out of laminated cardboard, the packaging is eco-friendly and contains ice tea made from clear spring water, the finest black tea, lemon juice and hemp. Widely available in European countries since 2005, the first container ship carrying C-Swiss arrived at the port of Miami in 2011.

Wondering if the Montreux Palace stocks C-ICE in the mini-bar, I opened the door and discovered that it's full of other Swiss products, like Henniez mineral water, Ramseier apple juice, Swiss wine from Yvorne and Purelosophy's DETOX formula made of aloe vera, whole grapes, artichoke, dandelion, fennel, nettle, lime and acerola.

If I'm hungry, I can snack on Swiss products, like Zweifel potato chips, Toblerone and Cailler chocolate and Ricola herbal candy, while sipping Nespresso.

In keeping with the Swiss theme, there's even a miniature cow bell note to place on your bed to indicate that you would like to help protect the environment by not having the linens changed every day.

What does it look like outside my hotel room? Cloudy, grey and beautiful. Walking along the lakeside promenade is one of my favorite past times in Montreux.

I'm definitely biased but that sounds like an excellent plan. You would have a great time taking pictures here. There was a double rainbow this afternoon that was spectacular. I could have used some advice from you about how to best take a photo of it.

Nope! French Karaoke isn't something that I would have expected in Boston. It sounds like a lot of fun! They mention a couple of singers (Cloclo, Dalida, Camille, Grégoire or Noir Désir) with whom I'm not familiar. I'll have to see if I can find videos of them on YouTube. Thanks for telling me about the French Cultural Center. I'll try to get there during my next trip to Boston.

I'm not doing a detox in Switzerland but I've been doing a kind of detox at home because we brought a juicer back with us from the States. I'll have to write a post about it. I LOVE fresh juice! If you do the clay detox, don't eat/drink the clay, only the water after the clay has settled to the bottom after you've let it sit overnight.

Yes, "we" do approve of Henniez. Not only is it the preferred mineral water of Swiss residents but it's owned by a certain Swiss company that also owns Perrier, San Pellegrino, etc. I prefer Henniez green because the bubbles aren't so aggressive.

I also wonder what the tea tastes like but haven't found a store that sells it yet.

On a sunny day, Montreux is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. I always feel bad when I see tourists who are there when it's raining and the mountains are obscured by the clouds. Like the Loire Valley, it's also a great place for bike riding.